Civil Justice's executive director to leave nonprofit

Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun

The executive director of Baltimore-based Civil Justice, a nonprofit legal-help group best known for its foreclosure defense work, announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down to join a private law firm.

Phillip Robinson said his departure date hasn't been set — he will remain with Civil Justice as it conducts a national search for his replacement — but he hopes the handoff will happen in January. He intends to join Legg Law Firm in Frederick.

In Robinson's eight years at Civil Justice, the small nonprofit has worked to improve Marylanders' access to legal expertise, especially in real estate matters. Since the foreclosure crisis hit, Civil Justice has filed suits on behalf of homeowners and trained hundreds of attorneys to more effectively represent Maryland borrowers trying to keep their homes.

GMAC Mortgage said in January that it would drop 250 foreclosure suits in the state, a move that came after Civil Justice filed motions seeking dismissal of cases with improper, "robo-signed," paperwork.